Since the Beginning
by Kalsypher
Summary: When Mahiru Shirota decided to get married, he ended his contract with his servamp, but allowed him to stay his pet cat. He's since had a child, Karma Shirota, which Sleepy Ash babysits when needed. Then, Mahiru asked Sleepy Ash a question. "Would you be Karma's servamp?"
1. Chapter 1

Kuro continued playing the game despite the annoying infant in his lap. She was squirming around, trying to get comfortable. He sighed and paused the game, "Now what?"

She stared up at him, her large brown eyes pleading under her thin, chocolate hair with incoherent babbles. "What a pain," Kuro grumbled as he opened his jacket, letting her get against his chest.

She giggled as he closed his jacket a bit, but after a couple minutes of squirming, she got still. Little Karma was the easiest child to take care of. The only attention she wanted was someone touching her or holding her, on occasion she would cry for no reason, but for the most part, she could be kept occupied with toys in her playpen which was next to the television so Kuro could keep an eye on her.

He might have been a cat, but Mahiru made him his daughter's guard dog, practically forcing him to sleep in the same room with her. He would pick Karma's room over staying in Mahiru's room any day. It was no secret Kuro hated Mahiru's wife. Keiko didn't know the truth about Kuro, but she knew him as "Ash", and Ash was a lazy, good for nothing, high school dropout. The only reason she allowed Ash to come around was because he didn't charge for babysitting. He wanted junk food and soda, but he still left a mess.

"Ash! We're back!" Mahiru announced as he opened the door.

And she had just settled down, too.

"Where's my baby?" Keiko called, her heels hitting the floor as she jumped into the room.

"Asleep," Kuro replied monotonously.

He felt Karma moved slightly, as she always did when he spoke. She smacked slightly, nuzzling into his stomach. Of the things in the world, she was the only thing that could tempt him to smile.

He paused the game when he heard Keiko behind him. The tv went black as she stepped around the couch Kuro was leaning against. "You'll wake her up," Kuro warned the moment Keiko saw Karma.

"Pervert!" She shrieked, which, as Kuro predicted, woke Karma in such a panic she began to cry.

Before Kuro got the chance to try to calm her, Keiko pulled her from his lap, gently rubbing her back to soothe her.

"Did you feed her?" Keiko asked, only receiving a bored look from the servamp. After checking her diaper, she narrowed her eyes, "I'm surprised her diaper's clean."

"You cleaned up," Mahiru noted.

"She tried to eat the bag," Kuro replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "She's starting to be troublesome."

"I can get Lily to babysit," Mahiru smiled, knowing the vampire would not approve.

"He charges too much," Keiko said. "You can go now."

Kuro rolled his eyes as he headed to the door and walked out. The door didn't close as he took his cat form, heading back to the living room and taking his spot on the couch where he normally slept during the day. The past few nights had been a nightmare. Karma was teething or something and it kept waking her up.

There were nights it got so bad, nothing could stop the pain, so Keiko would just give up and let her cry. Those nights, Kuro took care of her. He had to be careful about it, but he would take Karma to the kitchen and get her teething ring, heating it up rather than freezing it. It stopped the noise, and that's what mattered.

"Your stupid friend gave her the wrong formula," Keiko grumbled.

"Ash wouldn't mess that up. He's lazy not reckless. He couldn't hurt Karma even if someone forced him to," Mahiru defended.

Kuro ignored the argument when he heard Karma cry. She was tired and ready for bed. He yawned, stretching before jumping off the couch, his jingling bell catching Mahiru's attention.

"It's late, Keiko," Mahiru said with a sigh. "Put Karma down and we'll talk more about Ash."

Kuro followed Keiko down the hall, joining Karma in her crib and curling up next to her. That was Kuro's life now. They had managed to find a safe way to break their contract when Mahiru got married, but Kuro was allowed to stay as a house pet and very convenient babysitter.

That was why Keiko hated him. Kuro was always available, even when her sister or mother was. Even when Keiko's mother or sister came to watch the child, Mahiru made sure to "call Ash" if anything were to happen.

Keiko and Mahiru's argument became white noise to the vampire while he snuggled against Karma who was starting to squirm again. "You're troublesome," he murmured, opening an eye as she smiled a bit.

All throughout the night, Karma seemed to squirm or cry. The door was opening and closing more often than a clock ticked. When Keiko left for the twentieth time, Kuro jumped out of the crib, picking Karma up and laying on the floor, the infant on his chest. Why this comforted her, he didn't know. Perhaps his breathing or heart beat? Maybe his body heat or, sometimes, lack thereof.

With how hot she felt told him of an oncoming illness, probably just a cold. Either way, it would be annoying. Keiko always stayed home and invited her mother and sister over when Karma got sick. The overbearing women refused to let Kuro anywhere near her, most of the time blaming the cat for her sickness.

He lazily opened an eye when he heard the door click. Mahiru rubbed his eyes as he looked down at the vampire with Karma on his chest. The human yawned as he turned off the baby monitor. "What are you doing?"

"I was sleeping," Kuro answered as he closed his eye. "Karma's getting sick."

"Great," Mahiru groaned. "Well, at least she's stopped crying."

Kuro grabbed Mahiru's leg before he walked out, "I'm not changing her diaper."

Mahiru sighed, "You're so lazy."

"Not my baby," Kuro replied as Mahiru pulled Karma from the vampire's chest. "So, have you thought about it anymore?"

Mahiru wanted Karma to be Kuro's eve, more for Karma's protection than anything. Really, the human didn't want the servamp to go, but he wanted Karma to have that friend she could always rely on. The world seemed to be getting darker, even after Tsubaki. Vampires seemed to still be present and active, all being subclasses of Tsubaki. Kuro was a target, but Mahiru was as well, even without being Kuro's eve.

"It's annoying," Kuro replied. "She should be the one to decide, not me."

The human stayed quiet as he dropped the diaper in the trash. "I know," he finally replied as he gently placed Karma back on the vampire's chest. "I just want her safe."

He turned the baby monitor back on, knowing as soon as he put Karma down, the vampire would be asleep. His daughter meant the world to him, and he knew Kuro had the power to protect her. He considered Kuro a dear friend...so, he would watch his daughter, right?

The morning came all too soon.

"Stupid cat," Rin spat as she grabbed kitty Kuro by the back of his neck and tossed him away.

Kuro landed on his feet, giving the old crone an unamused look. Rin was Keiko's mother, and Keiko was a carbon copy of the witch. Though she had aged, Rin still had the shiny, smooth inky colored hair, some grey strands glowing in contrast or sticking out in a wiry fashion. Her dark eyes were far too big for her face giving her an owlish look.

"I've told you a million times to get rid of that stupid thing," Kayda glared at him while he cleaned his face with his paw.

Kayda, Keiko's sister was probably adopted, looking nothing like either of them. She had brown curly hair that had been cut far too short making it an untamable mess. Her brown eyes seemed dull compared to dirty penny, and were very narrow and small.

"Mahiru just won't let him go," Keiko said with a frown as she held little Karma. "He's had him since he was in high school, so I can't just make him get rid of it."

"Then make him an outside cat," Kayda reasoned as she stood up, grabbing the vampire and walking to the balcony, carelessly tossing him out...over the edge of the balcony.

Kuro sighed as he started falling from the fifth floor of the apartment complex, landing on his feet in his human form as he touched the ground. He wasn't happy about being in the alley, but he would have to wait until Mahiru got off work and picked him up. Stupid humans. It annoyed him more that he could hear Karma crying despite the distance. At least he had his video game.

"How's Karma?" Mahiru asked as soon as he walked in.

He expected an answer from a Kuro, but instead received one from his livid mother-in-law. "She has yet to stop crying. I'm going to take her to the doctor tomorrow to make sure you haven't created some sort of addict as an infant!"

Mahiru felt his chest tighten as he heard the weak screams of his daughter coming from the arms of his wife as she tried to soothe the baby.

"Have you let her sleep by Kuro? That usually helps," he suggested.

"We put him on the balcony this morning," Kayda replied as she tried to calm Karma down with her teething ring.

"You what?! He can't be in sunlight!"

"Why are you so concerned about your cat when your daughter is in this condition?!" Keiko spat.

"Because she loves Kuro and won't calm down until he's here," Mahiru stated as he walked to the balcony to search for the cat. After searching all the shaded areas, he heard his name being called.

After he saw the vampire standing in the alley, he stormed back in, "You threw him over the railing?! You touch him again, and you're not coming back," Mahiru vowed as he pointed at Kayda then slammed the door behind him.

"I need to get you a phone. She barely has a voice left," Mahiru told the black cat in his arms.

"I'll take care of it tonight," Kuro assured with a yawn. "Or, you could just invite your friend Ash over."

"That won't work. I think Rin is planning to stay the night since she thinks I'm giving Karma sleeping pills and she's having withdrawals."

"She's so stupid," Kuro grumbled as Mahiru opened the door.

"You'll need a bath first, then you can snuggle with Karma," Mahiru stated as he stepped into the living room where Karma's sobs had turned dry.

"I don't think it can wait," Kuro answered quietly as he jumped from Mahiru's arms, landing lightly on the floor.

His small paws made light taps on the floor before he jumped to the couch and meowed. Kayda, Rin, and Keiko glared at the cat while Mahiru took Karma and laid her on the couch, letting the vampire nuzzle up to her.

Slowly, the dry, scratchy rasps began to get quiet as little Karma started to settle down. Kuro closed his eyes, happy for the rest even though he knew it would be short lived. He desperately needed a bath after standing in that sweltering alley all day.

There was a sigh of relief that washed over the room, now that Karma had been silenced. On occasion, she would whimper or whine, but when Kuro adjusted himself to where she was more comfortable, she would fall asleep once more.

She was still very hot and running a fever, something they apparently didn't get checked. If Kuro wasn't confined to a cat form in the sun, he would have taken Karma to the doctor himself since those idiots didn't.

"Alright, Kuro, bath time," he heard Mahiru say. "You even get to take it with Karma."

He hated sink baths, but he wasn't going to complain. Less work for him, and he was probably getting cleaner since Mahiru was the one that usually washed him. He wasn't allowed to be near Karma until his fur had dried completely, so he stayed in the same room.

The argument between Mahiru and Kayda immediately came back, Mahiru yelling that she shouldn't have tossed a cat out that had a skin condition and couldn't be in the sun thrown onto a sunny balcony and that she shouldn't have tossed him over the balcony. Her excuse was she hated the cat and believed it was Kuro's fault Karma got sick in the first place.

When that argument was settled, the winner being Mahiru since Kuro was his cat and Karma was his daughter, with the obvious change in the infant's behavior when Kuro returned to her side, Mahiru had to face Rin, who blamed him for being a terrible parent that made Keiko do everything. This enraged Mahiru since his wife had failed to tell her mother that she also had a job and that Kuro (or his high school drop out friend, Ash) took care of Karma while they were at work.

"You would let that good for nothing watch your child?!" Rin screeched at Keiko. "I live three floors down!"

"Mom, you wouldn't be able to handle Karma and Kuro. Kuro has to be with Karma at all times. He makes her happy, and that's what matters."

"I want to meet this loser. If I don't think he's capable of taking care of her, I'll be the one taking his place," Rin stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine," Mahiru agreed, much to Kuro's surprise and dismay. "Next week-"

"Tomorrow, after the doctor's visit," Rin ordered.

Mahiru paused a moment, as if he had to think over the demand. Could Kuro handle it?

"Tomorrow," he agreed.

Kuro sighed, annoyed with the proposition, but at least he didn't have to go to the doctors office.

"Crap, that means I have to go to the store," Mahiru gasped as he ran to the door.

The vampire was very picky, his food being ramen, chips, and soda. He was also very specific on the type of formula he would give Karma. They had run out of the soy based formula months ago, forcing Kuro to give the infant formula that made her sick and gassy.

He opened an eye when he felt the girl's tiny hands grasp his tail then went back to sleep. He would have to be on his best behavior or he wouldn't be allowed to watch Karma and make sure she was healthy. Obviously that woman couldn't do it.

As the night dragged on, Karma was soon put in her crib, Kuro joining her despite the loud opposition from Rin, who slept in Karma's room that night. With no way for Kuro to help her, he just had to deal with her cries while Rin tried to stop them, occasionally succeeding.

Karma's behavior made Kuro wonder about vampires and their legends. It wasn't as though Karma could comprehend how cute he was in his cat form. Were vampires so mesmerizing, even infants could fall under their spell?

Probably not. Though, he wasn't entirely sure, to be honest. Maybe if he remembered, he would ask Old Child.

The morning came all too soon for Kuro as Mahiru woke him up. "Rin's gone to the doctor, so you might want to get ready."

Kuro sighed as he jumped out of the crib, landing on his feet and standing, towering Mahiru in his human form. "You know no matter what I do, she's not going to be happy."

"I know, but that doesn't mean you won't still be helping. Karma loves you more than anyone."

"How annoying," Kuro grumbled as he headed to the kitchen, immediately grabbing ramen from the cabinet. He got it ready and placed it in the microwave, "You don't think she would hurt Karma, do you?"

Mahiru stepped to his side, the concern clear on his usually bored face, "What makes you think she would?"

"Some people are just insane, and they'll do whatever they can to get what they want. I think she might try to hurt her."

"If she does, she's not coming back," Mahiru said. "Keep me updated."

The former Eve left with a wave, leaving Kuro to eat his ramen in peace. Two bowls of ramen and a thorough cleansing later, Rin came in, a sleeping Karma in her arms.

"You're that good for nothing? You look like it," Rin spat. "It's the middle of the summer, take off that stupid jacket."

Kuro ignored her as he continued playing his video game. He heard something in the kitchen making him look over his shoulder. He was on his feet and next to a Rin before she could even comprehend what had happened. Taking Karma from her, he pulled the baby bottle from the microwave and sniffed it before pouring it out.

"You're wasting perfectly good formula!" Rin snapped as he tossed the bottle into the sink.

"She not even hungry, you idiot," he said as he walked back to the living room, placing the infant in his lap as he started the game again.

"What are you doing?! She can't sleep like that!"

Kuro ignored her, focusing on his game. When she heard her on the phone he could only sigh. This woman was going to drive him insane. He frowned slightly when he heard Karma whimper. Placing his hand on her forehead, he could tell her fever was getting worse. Did she even talk her to the doctor?

"Where's her medicine?" Kuro asked as he stood up, cradling Karma against him as she squirmed.

"I don't believe in using medicine," Rin answered. "She just needs to wait it out. Doctor's orders."

He stormed up to the woman, snatching her phone from her hand and dialing the first number he could think of.

"Hello?"

"I need you to get some medicine for Karma. We don't have any here, and her grandmother didn't get her any."

"Oh, my," Lily muttered, horrorstruck at the thought of such neglect, "Yes, I will get Dodo on it. Should I accompany him?"

"Not this time," Kuro answered. "And...thanks."

"Of course," Lily replied, a smile in his voice.

Within thirty minutes, Kuro had the medicine and had given it to the fussy infant. She had been whimpering and whining the entire time, almost to the point to put Kuro in tears for not being able to help her faster.

The effects weren't immediate, but Kuro could tell Karma was starting to feel a bit better as her body temperature lowered.

"Now, why couldn't you get the medicine yourself?" Rin asked with a smirk. "I could have watched Karma while you were gone."

"Lady, I would die before leaving her alone with you," Kuro replied coldly, heading to the couch and sitting in front of it, so Karma could lay in his lap.

He picked up the video game once more, trying to keep a cool head while playing. He had thought a lot about being Karma's servamp, and it was looking more and more like he needed to be with Rin being around. Rin was definitely ready to do whatever she needed to keep Karma.

Rin was nosy, always trying to get Karma from Kuro, or trying to turn off the tv and ruin his game. He took advantage of those moments, always getting up to either change Karma's diaper or check her fever.

He thought another fight was going to break out when Karma started whining again. As he started getting the formula ready, he had placed Karma in her playpen so she could play around with whatever toys she had. As he began heating it up, he kept an eye on Rin who decided Karma didn't need to be in her playpen.

It took all Kuro had to not kick the woman out of the apartment. He readied the formula, testing the temperature one last time before taking the bottle to Rin. He was skeptical about letting Rin feed her, but gave her the bottle anyway.

Standing a couple of feet away, he watched as Rin fed Karma, occasionally pulling the bottle from her mouth. Content that this was the one thing the woman could do right, Kuro let his guard down for only a moment. He headed to the kitchen to grab a bag of chips when he heard Rin put Karma in her playpen.

"She doesn't go in there right now," Kuro told her as he closed the microwave. "She goes in her room for an afternoon nap. She'll wake up around three."

"Why does it matter where she sleeps?"

"That's just how she is," Kuro replied as he carefully picked up Karma.

Almost immediately, she threw up on him. He sighed, "Great."

After taking off his jacket, he took off his shirt too, standing in the middle of the living room, wrapping the infant up in the warm shirt. She cooed and hiccuped as her brown eyes stared up at him. "Don't blame me. You threw up on me."

"Put a shirt on, you pervert!" Rin yelled.

Ignoring Rin once again, he took Karma to her room and put her down in the crib, "Now, get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

She smiled at his cool touch, slowly falling asleep as he stood there. What usually came to two hours of playing video games, watching tv, or just sleeping as well, came to two hours of dealing with Rin who criticized everything he had done so far.

After tossing his jacket into the washing machine, he grabbed a shirt from Mahiru's closet, pulling it on and leaving the bedroom, Rin on the phone the whole time, complaining to her daughter about what Kuro was doing.

Getting on Mahiru's laptop, he sent the human an email, updating him on everything that had happened so far. Mahiru would listen to both sides, but in the end side with Kuro, who wasn't trying to impress anyone, just keep Karma safe.

Once the email had been sent, Kuro went to get his ramen from the microwave only to find it missing. He turned around, looking for Rin, then headed to Karma's room, hoping the ramen hadn't made its way in there.

"You idiot, are you trying to kill her?!" Kuro yelled as he quickly pulled Karma from her crib, holding her against his chest, "She's allergic to it!"

It wasn't a bad allergy, just causing her to sneeze a lot. Kuro wouldn't wear his jacket while he ate the stuff, leaving the item in her room, and even changing shirts after a thorough washing of his hands and face, and brushing his teeth and mouthwash.

That had been the last straw for Kuro. "You should leave."

"You can't just kick me out."

"Yes, I can," he replied coldly, his red eyes gleaming like freshly spilled blood as he glared at her. "If I even see you touch her, I will make sure you regret it."

The woman immediately left the room, though Kuro could tell it was probably some sort of intimidation tactic vampires had. His dark aura had caused Karma to cry, so he had to calm her down once more before leaving with the ramen.

He was mad, seething even, but his face remained stoic for Karma's sake. The last thing he needed was the girl to grow up having nightmares of monsters...like him.

As Karma's nap came to an end, Kuro went through his usual routine of practically sanitizing himself so Karma wouldn't be too miserable. He had taken a nap as well, exhausted from dealing with Rin for three hours.

Just as Karma woke up, the door opened, Keiko and Rin storming in. Of course Keiko would be involved.

"What authority do you have to kick MY MOTHER out of MY APARTMENT?!"

Kuro just looked at her, sighing as he gently rubbed Karma's back, while muttering soothing words to the slowly panicking infant. This was starting to become more annoying.

"Give me Karma," Keiko ordered.

"No," Kuro said bluntly. "Not while she's here."

The door opened once more, Kayda rushing in and stealing Karma from him before he could argue, "My poor, sweet Karma, having to deal with that nasty man all day."

He debated whether or not it was worth staying, or at least staying in his human form. After dealing with Rin all day, he was almost certain the woman couldn't handle Karma, or just wanted to cause as many problems as possible.

"Ash, you should leave," Keiko said firmly.

He shrugged, "Don't blame me when she dies."

He headed to the door, opening it, turning into a cat, and closing it as he trotted back in, jumping on the couch.

"Disgusting," Rin spat as she glared down at the cat. "He must hate that Ash, too, since this is the first time I've seen him all day."

As the women talked, Kuro kept an eye on the clock, counting down the minutes for him to get home. He would have to be ready to leave when Mahiru got home since Mahiru would want to speak with him in his human form about the day's events.

He woke up after falling on the ground. Fortunately, the sun had been in that spot he landed so he maintained his cat form. The noises of his dreams echoed in his mind, had been a reality of Karma crying once more.

He rolled onto his feet, jumping onto the top of the couch where Mahiru stood with paper in hand as he argued with Keiko over how Rin had treated Kuro and Karma all day.

"Why would my mother lie about that?!" Keiko asked.

"Because Ash has nothing to prove! We don't even pay him! He actually likes taking care of her!"

"And what does my mother have to prove?!"

"Obviously she doesn't think we think highly enough of her to take care of Karma. After doing everything she's done today, I can't say that I do trust her. I called the doctor, Keiko. Karma never showed up."

"Of course she didn't! My mother doesn't believe in medicine from a doctor!"

Mahiru rubbed his temples, "Thank God Ash has enough common sense to get medicine for her."

"That lazy bum didn't leave the apartment! Your rich friend sent his butler over!"

"He wasn't going to leave Karma with her! I don't want my daughter dead!"

"You know what, fine. We both stay home tomorrow with Ash to see how he takes care of Karma, then we both stay home with my mom to see how she takes care of Karma."

"Or set up video cameras," Mahiru suggested.

That was the last thing Kuro wanted, but it was what needed to be done. The very next day, Kuro was in the house, in his human form, staring at the formula in the pot for it to heat up. His jacket was clean so he could wear it again. Finally, he was ready to start the day.

It was the same routine, Karma had a bottle first thing when he got there then slept for a while in Kuro's lap until she wanted to move around when she wanted to play with the toys in her crib the process repeated until one when Kuro put her in her crib to sleep for a couple of hours. That's when he wrapped her up in his jacket, the only thing that really helped her sleep. During those two hours, he ate his ramen, washed off everything, changed shirts, brushed his teeth, then went to the couch to play a video game.

When three came, he gently woke up Karma, taking his jacket back and dealt with her as she needed. Keiko would return at five, and Kuro would be allowed to leave, though he usually stayed until Mahiru came home.

When Mahiru returned, Kuro turned to his cat form, he jumped onto Mahiru's shoulder to watch the videos he had recorded all day.

"Gross, he wraps her up in his jacket?" Keiko was absolutely disgusted with it.

"Whatever helps," Mahiru replied.

"Where is Kuro?" Keiko asked.

"There's no telling. Kuro hates Ash."

"Lets lock Kuro up tomorrow, see what happens," Keiko suggested.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Mahiru replied uneasily.

"She slept all day without Kuro. If she doesn't need Kuro, we can get rid of him," Keiko said.

"We're not getting rid of the cat," Mahiru stated firmly. "But, if you don't think she needs Kuro, we'll put him up for the day."

Kuro huffed, not looking forward to being locked up. With the cameras, he would be stuck in the room all day, without food. At least he would have a game system.

The next day started with him getting thrown in a room. The rest of the day consisted of Karma crying and Rin calling Keiko to ask for help. Kuro did his best to focus on his video game or sleep, but the cries kept his attention. All because he wasn't there with her.

The moment the door opened to let Kuro out, the cat stretched, looking up at Mahiru.

"It's just us."

Kuro took his human form, wandering down the hall to Karma's room as she chewed on a teething ring. She cooed when he picked her up, keeping a tight hold on the cold ring.

"You've spoiled her, Ash," Mahiru laughed, "She can't do anything without you."

"You can always rely on a cute pet to make someone happy."

"You're not that cute," Mahiru deadpanned.

"I'm not babysitting you. Her opinion is the one that matters," Kuro said as he poked her fat cheek.

"I don't think we'll be letting Rin babysit anymore, but Kayda might try to since she's pregnant too."

"I'm not babysitting both," Kuro stated, leaving no room for argument or pleading.

"I can't blame you," Mahiru agreed. "I can't say you won't be stuck with both of them, though."

"That doesn't matter." Kuro had become more gentle, his face relaxing as his gaze softened while he looked at the girl in his arms.

Mahiru smiled. Karma, though still little, had the ability to take anyone's heart, even a vampire. He would be her servamp, there was no doubt about that.

The months passed and soon Karma had a baby cousin named Eusebio, named after his grandfather. Kayda attempted to get Kuro to babysit the boy, but Eusebio was left in Rin's less than capable hands.

As the years passed, Karma began to learn how to speak, able to say Kuro's name "Ash", though it mostly came out as "Ass", and the servamp received a gift from her as well, a green collar with a star-shaped tag, "Kuro" etched in. She also called him "Kuo" unable to master the 'r'.

Eusebio came over more often than Kuro would have liked, but he tolerated being around the child as long as he didn't pull his tail or talk to him. However, the small boy was very mean to little Karma, something Kuro was not afraid to point out or scratch at when the child acted out of line. It was the days Karma was kept from Kuro that really bothered him.

When Karma turned three, she was starting to learn basic behaviors, how to share and other manners. She took all the lessons seriously, even saying please and thank you to plants. That was when everything started taking a turn...and not for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

Kuro carried Karma on his shoulders as they walked through the summer festival. She was being unusually quiet. Whenever he took her places, she would want to do everything and watch him play video games until she fell asleep. They were surrounded by games, food, and colorful things, but she hadn't made a single sound. He sighed, pulling her from his shoulders so he could look at her. He had hoped she had just been too overwhelmed to be expressively excited about the festival, but her crestfallen face proved otherwise.

"What's wrong, princess?" He asked, pushing her choppy bangs from her face.

"I heard Mama talk about how she was going to take me away from Papa. She said she knew some people that would be able to kill you so you couldn't stop it."

"And what did I tell you?" He asked her.

"You can't die."

He nodded as a smile started to find its way to her lips, but it faded once again, "She can still take me from Papa."

Kuro frowned. She was too young to have to deal with this. A five year old shouldn't be afraid of her mother. A five year old also wasn't old enough to be responsible for a servamp. Yet, she had all of them.

Their contract had been made earlier that day by accident. Kuro had kissed many wounds throughout Karma's life, some involving blood, some not. Only this time, she had talked about her beloved cat, Kuro and sealed the contract.

It had scared her, but when the chains disappeared, she was fine. Mahiru thought it was funny, though Kuro failed to see the amusement. At least he would be able to go to her mother's to make sure she was safe.

"I'm going to be with you from now on, princess. Either as a cat or as your babysitter, I'll be there. For a small bite, I can keep you safe from any harm."

He placed her on the ground so she could walk with him. Her excitement of the festival was starting to show as she tugged him to different vendors and activities, pointing at things she thought were interesting.

"Do you want to try to catch the fish?" Kuro asked as she stared at the fish swimming in a circle.

"I want to pet one."

"Let's catch it first," Kuro suggested as he got the small net from the lady hosting the game.

Karma tried her best at trying to catch the slippery creatures but failed. Kuro watched as she concentrated on the objective, watching other people catch the slippery creatures.

"Hello, brother," Kuro heard behind him.

Karma gave little protest as the servamp picked her up, turning to face Old Child and his eve, Tetsu. The blond haired Human was tall as a teen, but it was possible he was even taller.

Karma's eyes widened as she stared at the tall blond and small Dracula on his shoulder. "You're big!"

"Who's the squirt?" Old Child asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked over the girl that was as tall as him.

"This is Karma Shirota, Mahiru's daughter, and my eve," Kuro introduced. "Karma, this is my brother, Old Child and his eve, Tetsu Sendagaya."

"You can call me Hugh the Dark Algernon III!" Old Child told her.

"Hello," she greeted with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hugh..." she gave a sheepish smile having forgotten the long name, "and Mr. Sendagaya."

"How old are you?" Tetsu asked curiously.

"I'm going to be six next week!" She gasped, tugging on Kuro's jacket, "Will Papa be mad if we invite Mr. Hugh and Mr. Sendagaya to the party?"

"No, but your mother will. It's at her house this year."

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she tried to figure out a solution. When she found none, she sighed sadly, "Okay." She grinned at the two, "Next year it will be at Papa's house and you can come then!"

Tetsu chuckled as he placed his large hand on the girl's head, "We look forward to it. I don't think we've seen Mahiru since he got married."

"He's gotten divorced since then," Kuro said as he placed the girl down so she could try to catch fish again. "The plan had been to let Karma decide if she wanted me to be her servamp, but with what's been happening recently, it's better that it happened now."

"I haven't heard anything," Old Child said with a suspicious look.

"Karma's been in the hospital twice for blood transfusions after leaving her mother's home. I've found bite marks on her. I don't know who is doing it, but I will kill them if it happens again."

"Should you say things like that in front of a five year old?" Old Child asked.

"She's heard me say worse," Kuro replied, placing his hand on the girl's head.

"Yeah, one time he told my Aunt Kayda if Eusebio didn't leave me alone then he would break the little bast-" Despite Kuro covering her mouth, she continued telling the story.

When she finished, Kuro moved his hand from her mouth, sending a slight glare at the grinning girl. Old Child and Tetsu were laughing at the muffled story. "And did you stay true to your word?" Old Child asked.

"That was before the divorce. Now I have a say in the matter again."

"Ooh! I got one!" Karma exclaimed as she held the flopping goldfish in her hands. She scrunched her nose, "It's slimy."

"Here," Kuro gently pushed the fish from her hand into the waiting cup filled with water. "Fish aren't meant to be touched, princess. They can't live out of water."

"So, he gets to live with Oucher?"

"He gets to live with Oucher," Kuro nodded.

"What is Oucher?" Old Child asked as Kuro helped the girl clean her hands off with a sanitation wipe.

"It's a crab. Stupid thing nearly clamped her toe off."

"Good name for a crab," Tetsu said. "You can come to my hot springs whenever you want to see my koi fish."

"Koi fish? Can we go?" She asked Kuro.

"Yes' but your father will want to come."

"So what's your name, now, Sleepy Ash?"

"Kuro," he answered. "Mahiru and I still had a contract when he was dating Keiko, so the name stayed, even after the contract ended."

"I see," Old Child said thoughtfully. "The fireworks are about to begin, so find a good seat."

Kuro picked the girl up, letting her sit on his shoulders as they pushed the opposite way of the crowd, Karma playing with the fish in the cup. "Be careful with him. If you shake him up, he'll die."

"I'll name it Hugh, after your brother," Karma declared.

Kuro looked up at her to see her goofy smile, "If that's what you want to do."

"Do you like your brother? I don't know if I'll like mine."

"I didn't know you were going to have a brother," Kuro said as he placed her on the railing of the bridge.

"I'm going to have five," she smiled. "Mama said she had two boys in her belly."

"Great," Kuro grumbled as the fireworks started shooting off.

He noticed from the corner of his eye how entranced Karma had become with the fireworks. What a simple child. Would she always be so easy to please or cheer up?

Once the fireworks had ended, he picked her up, letting her rest against his chest. She was asleep before they got home, but Mahiru was still awake, sitting on the couch and reading a book.

"Oucher has a friend," Kuro said as he gently placed Karma in Mahiru's lap. He pulled the gold fish from his pocket, "This is Hugh. We saw my brother and that giant at the festival and she decided to name the fish after him."

"You can't dump the fish in the water. Just put the whole thing in the water and we'll take him out tomorrow."

"Keiko's pregnant," Kuro said as he put the fish in the tank as Mahiru had directed.

Mahiru sighed, "Great."

"Twins. Karma said they're both boys."

"Do you have any good news?"

"Probably not," Kuro said with a lazy shrug.

"Did she have fun?"

"For the most part," Kuro replied, remembering the bout of sadness the girl hadhad at the beginning. "Mahiru, you need to be careful. Keiko is going to try to take Karma from you."

"She can't. She already has to have supervised visits."

"That may be, but Karma is worried she'll take her away."

"Well, she's got you now, so she can't really be hurt that badly, can she?"

Kuro frowned as he watched the fish swim in the tiny cup. "That depends. I don't know how much she'll be able to trust me if I have to bite her. She's too young for this, Mahiru."

"I know," Mahiru agreed, closing his book and standing up.

He gently picked up his daughter, taking her to her room. He was proud of Karma. She had been in a few little league sports, trying to find out where she belonged, or if she belonged to any of them. With trophies in every sport and high praise coming from the coaches, it was hard to say. Thanks to Licht, she got to touch base with music, which she did not like, but was very polite as always to the pianist.

Her dislike of piano seemed to force her mother to make her take lessons. "You could be a great pianist like Licht if you practiced."

His poor daughter wanted to please everyone. Sheets of music scattered the floor where she had gotten frustrated and just tossed the piece. After he tucked her in bed, he picked up the sheet music, frowning at the complexity of the piece. A small note at the top of the page told him why she was learning it. Licht had mastered it by the time he was seven.

"Karma shouldn't be forced to do something," Mahiru said quietly as the servamp stood next to him. "Maybe Keiko will pull her out of it."

The vampire took his cat form and jumped onto the bed, "Wouldn't count on it. Keiko will probably expect her to be tour ready in a month."

Mahiru smiled when his daughter reached down, grabbing the cat and pulled him to her chest, cuddling him.

"I told you I was cute," Kuro said as he nuzzled into the girl.

"You're not that cute."

"Night, Papa," Karma said as Mahiru started to leave.

He smiled, walking back to his daughter and kissing her on the forehead, "Night, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you, Papa."

Mahiru walked out of the room, turning on her star shaped nightlight and closing the door until it was only a crack. He had learned a lot. How was Keiko planning on taking Karma from him? If by some legal way she managed to take her, Kuro would still be there with her. That cat would go through hell to get Karma back.

The following weekend started off just as disastrous as they thought. Tsubaki's subclass, Shamrock stood next to Keiko, a smirk on his face.

"You look troubled, Sleepy Ash. There's not much you can do, though, is there? Being attached to Mahiru must really get under your skin since you can't protect Karma when she's not with you."

"You touch her, you die," Kuro promised.

Shamrock laughed, "What do you think happens in these supervised visits? You act as though-"

Kuro's black claws stuck out of the subclass's chest, causing him to gasp. "I don't answer to Mahiru." He pulled his hand from his chest, "I answer to Karma. If you don't think she would wish you dead, you are wrong. If she tells me to kill you, I will not hesitate."

Mahiru looked down at his unfazed child. Even the small river of blood on her arm didn't bother her. Her once playful eyes were like steel, glaring and watching. She had been spending time with Misono and Lily.

"Aren't you going to stop her?!" Keiko cried as she tried to stop Shamrock's bleeding.

"She knows what she's doing," Mahiru replied. "Besides, how much blood did he take from her before you stopped him?"

Keiko went quiet, watching in horror as her daughter stared her down, "Sweetie, you don't want to do this to your brothers. They should have a father."

Everyone was surprised when the chain disappeared, Karma walking to her servamp's side and tugging on his jacket, "Kuro, can we go to Mr. Hugh's koi pond?"

"Sure," he answered, picking the girl up and placing her on his shoulders.

Karma's steely gaze faltered slightly as she looked at her terrified mother, "I don't ever want to see you again. I hate you."

Kuro turned away, letting his eve's words sink in as he walked to Mahiru. She was six. She shouldn't be able to mean those words or be so willing to end someone's life. But, she could.

"Lets invite Misono and Lily," Mahiru said as he pulled out his phone. "It can be like a small reunion."

"Yay!" Karma cheered as Kuro put her in the car.

She managed to buckle herself in and Kuro hopped into her lap, laying down as she gently stroked his fur. "You're dirty."

"I took a shower this morning," Kuro replied as he stretched out and rolled onto his stomach for her to rub.

"Then why does Kitty Kuro have knots in his fur?" She asked, making Mahiru's laugh.

"You can give Kitty Kuro a bath at the bath house. I'm sure Tetsu wouldn't mind."

"You're going to put braids in my fur again," the cat grumbled as he looked up at the child.

Her brown eyes searched his, trying to find some comfort after what had just happened. Had she made the right choice? His fluffy tail lightly brushed her cheek. A sense of relief flashed over her face. He didn't hold it against her, and that was what mattered.

When they got to the bath house, Karma immediately took Kuro to a bath to wash the cat. Mahiru smiled as he watched the cat get covered in pink suds before directing his attention to Tetsu and Hugh.

"So, Shamrock is part of your family now?" Hugh asked as Tetsu gave everyone tea.

"I don't think so. Karma said she never wanted to see her again, so until she wants to see Keiko, I'm not going to make her go over there," answered Mahiru.

Old Child gave him a look, "That seems a bit extreme."

"Shamrock has been able to drink her blood, and he's nearly killed her twice. I don't think Karma is doing anything too harsh," Mahiru argued. He didn't think his daughter could be so brash, but Keiko deserved it. "And, she has Kuro. I know he's not a replacement, but he's a stability she will always have."

Karma walked in with her cat wrapped in a towel, holding him tight as her eyes started to get heavy. "I'm sleepy, Papa."

Kuro jumped from her arms, landing on his feet to catch her before she passed out on the floor. "How annoying."

"Is she alright?" Tetsu asked as he got up to get her a futon.

"She'll be fine. Standing up to her mother with the threat of a vampire took almost all of her energy and effort."

"Oh yeah, Kuro what's going on with your chain? It looks more solid than mine did."

"She's a true eve." The servamp's basic explanation made Old Child gasp.

Mahiru became frantic, "Is that bad? Is she going to get hurt?"

Old Child began explaining as Kuro placed the girl on the futon and tucked the blanket in around her. "True eves are a rare phenomenon. The bond between the servamp and true Eve is something written in destiny and cannot be changed. Karma will become a vampire. Like star crossed lovers, she will be bound to Sleepy Ash."

"Wh-what?" Mahiru's voice trembled. Would she be alright as a vampire? Would Kuro be able to take care of her?

"I don't have a say in the matter," Kuro told him. "All of us are destined to have a true eve. World's End found his, but he left him. When that happens, the true Eve dies a long and slow death."

"And, if you end the contract with her now, what would happen?"

"Our contract can't be broken. My bell can't break. The only thing that could stop it would be for another servamp to kill her."

Mahiru went silent. Why did it have to be Karma?

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Lily said as he entered the room with Misono following. "They have to be in the same country, not side by side. Karma will just be a vampire. All the benefits of a servamp but no need for an eve to reach her potential."

"So, how long does she have?"

"I was eighteen when our creator made me. That's when she'll turn."

Mahiru's was ready to yell at the cat for not telling him all this information earlier, but Kuro was already upset by the news.

"We don't know who our true eves are until the contract has been made. It just happens," Lily explained, noticing Mahiru's tension and silence.

"But, she'll be safe, right? When should we tell her?"

"She'll be fine. True eves already know after the contract is created that this will happen." Kuro gently moved a piece of her hair from her face, "The only problem is the transition will be painful, just like it was for the rest of us."


	3. Chapter 3

Karma awkwardly picked at her vegetables. She loved vegetables, but only when her father cooked them. This lady was her father's third girlfriend, again trying to impress him with cooking. She doubted Kuro would even try the chicken she had made.

Her eyes moved across the table, looking at the multiple visitors they had. The lady, Michi, had two children, a son and a daughter. The son was older by a few years and the daughter was her age. The kids were polite in front of others, but Karma couldn't stand to be alone with them.

When she caught a glimpse of her father's warning gaze, she quickly shoveled the still raw, yet still burned rice and peas into her mouth. When she finished eating, Mahiru allowed her to go to her room to do homework.

Kuro shifted a bit when the ten year old sat in his lap, adjusting to where he could still play his game while she did her homework. "You didn't bring me anything."

"Trust me, you wouldn't want that," she replied as she turned the page in her book.

"You could have brought me something," he grumbled playfully, earning a glare from the girl.

"That would have been rude, Kuro. You know how Papa is about manners."

"No, I know how you are with manners, princess," he replied as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

The room went quiet as she busied herself with homework. Kuro could hear the conversation happening outside the room, and he didn't like it. The children were rude, though the way they twisted their words made them seem like they were being polite. Mahiru, being the trusting person he was, didn't see it.

Karma huffed when the door opened and a black cat fell onto her homework. "You could have knocked."

"You said you were doing homework," Masaru, Michi's son said angrily. "I told you she was playing video games!"

Karma looked over her shoulder as the boy walked in, his sister following with a smirk. "Is there something you want?" The eve asked, annoyed at the intrusion.

"I want to go to your school. I would love playing video games for homework," Yasu grinned, sitting next to her to pick up the controller.

"Please don't touch that," Karma said, taking the controller from her and placing it by the television.

She bristled when Yasu laughed, grabbing the controller once more. "That was a cute request."

When she moved, Kuro placed his paw on her hand, convincing her to not react. Sighing, she went back to her homework, doing her best to ignore the disorder around her.

Something breaking brought her from her concentration. She looked over her shoulder, tears starting to prick her eyes. "Pa-"

Yasu placed her hand over the girl's mouth as water began to drain from the fish tank. Along with the crab, she had five goldfish, one for every year she had been with Kuro. How Hugh managed to live that long blew her mind, but it was still alive.

Kuro ran out of the room, allowing Karma to relax a bit, but watching the water drain from the tank set her on edge. All those fish were memories with Kuro. It was stupid, but she thought it was an amusing tradition to keep.

Less than a minute later, Mahiru ran into the room with a small bucket, letting it fill with the water from the aquarium before getting the fish and crab from the broken glass. He hoped they would survive the trauma.

Kuro walked to his eve, jumping onto her shoulder and nuzzling her neck, "It's okay."

"But, our anniversary," she whispered as the cat's tail wiped her tears.

"We'll have plenty more," he assured.

"Eight isn't plenty more," she muttered with a sniffle.

Kuro frowned. True eves knew about their deaths, but they didn't know about the vampire part. No matter how many times he had told her, it seemed she would always forget. "I'll be there," he assured. "You won't be alone."

She released a shaky sigh, nodding a bit. That was the only thing he was able to tell her to calm her.

"There," Mahiru said with a smile. "Hopefully they'll make it. Karma, go get a towel so we can get the water up."

She pushed by Yasu and Masura, heading to their linen closet to grab a towel. She flinched when another arm reached over her, pulling a blanket from a higher shelf.

"Wait, that one isn't a towel," Karma said as she tried to take the old blanket back from Michi.

The woman ignored the girl, making Karma shake slightly from the overwhelming amount of emotions she was trying to control. Before she knew it, she was on the roof, the cool night air helping calm her down as Kuro kept his arms around her. She was in his lap again, watching the game on Kuro's handheld.

"You okay, princess?" Kuro asked, resting his chin on her head.

"I'm better," she answered. "Thanks."

He placed a kiss on the top of her head, never acknowledging her gratitude. The roof fell silent except the wind that would rustle Kuro's jacket. He briefly touched her head, pushing to where it was resting on his chest. She had fallen asleep as she always did when he took her to the roof.

"Kuro?" Mahiru called as he stepped onto the roof. He approached the busy vampire, "Is she okay?"

"She's asleep. I don't think she can handle them."

Mahiru sighed, "She's always been like that. Her therapist said I shouldn't give into these dramatic tantrums, so I invited them back next week."

The servamp looked up at the man, "You're so stupid."

Mahiru placed his hands on his hips, "And what should I do, huh? She can't have these breakdowns all the time."

"Shut up before you wake her," Kuro said, going back to his game. "You should know how sentimental she is. Keiko gave her that aquarium. That is the only thing her mother ever gave her. She gets a fish every year at the summer festival. That's something we do together every year. Michi used the blanket you made her to clean up the aquarium water."

Mahiru knew the mentally damaging obsession Karma had for keeping things. She wasn't a hoarder, but if someone gave her something as a gift, she would keep it. She had an entire box of birthday and Christmas cards that she couldn't make herself throw away. For the longest time, she collected boxes of chocolate, unable to make herself open them because she knew she would have to throw the box away.

"I'm going to give Michi a second chance. I think Karma can handle it."

Kuro didn't voice his opinion, instead saving his game and getting up, keeping Karma against his chest. There was no way to know if Karma would be able to handle a second interaction with Michi and her children. If he was able to stay in his human form, she would be fine. At the moment, she was too old for a babysitter and too young for Kuro to pass as a friend. Mahiru agreed that it would seem strange for Kuro to come around again as his lazy good for nothing friend. Being a cat was the best approach at the moment.

When he managed to get Karma back to her room, he placed her down on her bed, waking her.

"What's going on?" She asked groggily.

"Bed time," he answered. "Are you okay?"

"I have a headache," she mumbled, closing her eyes again.

He gently touched her temple before getting up to get medicine. It was understandable that Mahiru was starting to feel lonely. Keiko had died almost two years ago, and he hadn't had much luck on the dating scene.

The women always left after they met Karma. He had heard them call her creepy or possessed. One told Mahiru to get her into therapy, which he agreed. She had been honest with her therapist, telling the man she only had eight years to live. When that bit of information came out, the therapist recommended putting her on antidepressants, something Kuro strongly advised against, but Mahiru followed anyway.

The pills ruined Karma, making her worse rather than better. She no longer smiled and she was always tired. When she didn't have school, she slept longer than he did. She was too young to lose the will to live, but she did.

"Cmon," Kuro sighed as he gently lifted Karma into a sitting position. "It's not your medicine," he explained at her defeated look.

"Kuro, why is the world so sad?"

"Because you don't smile anymore, princess," he replied, only making her sadder. It was worth a shot.

"But, there's no reason to be happy anymore."

"What would make you happy?" He asked curiously.

"To fall asleep and never wake up."

He was shocked at the answer.

She gave a pitiful sigh, "But, I only have to wait eight years."

No more of that medicine. Her eyes focused on his when he placed his finger on her neck. "Is something wrong?"

He didn't reply as he gently tipped her head, sinking his fangs into her neck. She whimpered but made no other noise as the bitter tasting blood rushed into his mouth. The moment it turned sweet, he released her, licking the wound to stop the bleeding.

Before he could move away from her, he was knocked over from her sudden embrace. He didn't have to look at her face to know she felt better. With a light kiss on the top of her head, he gently rubbed her back, watching as she held onto him, snuggled into his chest.

After a minute of resting there, Karma climbed out of bed and grabbed her pajamas so she could get ready for bed. For the first time in a long time, she felt okay. After her mother died, she hadn't quite been the same. The last time she saw her mother, she told her "I hate you." She never fixed the relationship.

That had caused a brief bout of depression, one Kuro helped her manage. She had gotten over it, for the most part, but when she was put in therapy, it made things worse, reality settling in that she would die soon. When she was put on the medication, it made her focus on the disturbing thought, allowing it to consume her.

Her servamp had helped her once more, drawing the poison from her system. If he wasn't permanently stuck to her, she wondered if he would still help her. Her father was convinced he would.

After a shower, she got dressed for bed and headed back to her room, crawling under the sheets, Kuro curled up on her pillow. "You're the best, Kuro."

The cat didn't answer, only nuzzling her forehead before stretching and going back to sleep. It didn't matter if he didn't want to admit it. To Karma, he was a hero.

Mahiru watched his daughter eat cereal as she looked through a magazine. When was the last time she had willingly ate something? What was more surprising was she wasn't sharing it with Kuro. She had gotten a second bowl for the vampire rather than eating half and giving him the rest. It was the first time he had seen her not share food she enjoyed.

His eyes widened when he saw the purple bruise on her neck. "Kuro! Get in here!"

Karma watched curiously as her father yelled at the half asleep servamp, demanding to know why he had bitten her. She didn't see what the big deal was. Isn't that what vampires were supposed to do?

"He was helping me, Papa," Karma said.

"Biting you is not helping!"

"Yes, it is! He got all of the medicine out."

"The medicine was killing her, Mahiru," Kuro said before Mahiru could argue. The servamp looked at his empty bowl then Karma. Resisting a smile, he placed his hand on her head and moved to get his own food. "She doesn't need something to make her worse."

Mahiru watched his daughter for a moment, her brown eyes lighting up with her smile. Her smile. It had been a while since he had seen that. Everything was alright for the time being.

"Get ready for school," Kuro told Karma as he grabbed snacks from the cabinet and placed them in her book bag.

"Bossy," Karma replied, sticking her tongue out at the servamp.

"I'll get a new aquarium for the fish today," Mahiru informed the girl as she got up and placed her bowl in the sink.

He was testing the waters with his daughter's mood. Was she going to meltdown again.

She frowned for a moment before nodding, "Okay."

No drama. No tears. It really had been that medicine the therapist recommended.

Kuro took his cat form and jumped onto Karma's shoulder. She rushed out the door, a brief farewell going to her father. Karma frowned at how hot it was. Did that medicine mess her up that much?

"Hey, Kuro?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have I been...sad?"

"Too long," he answered quietly. "We should go to the bath house this weekend. We deserve it."

"Hey, Karma," someone greeted.

Her attention moved to a green haired man heading toward her. She frowned as she took a step back, "You're a vampire."

"My name is Sakuya. I was your father's best friend."

"It's true," Kuro confirmed. "He won't hurt you."

Sakuya smiled at the cat, "Sleepy Ash. Shamrock said you had a new eve."

"Yeah, five years ago," Karma said with a glare. "My father might have been afraid to kill you, but I'm not. I'm sure Shamrock told you that as well."

Sakuya chuckled, "I'm just looking for Mahiru. It's been a while."

"Find him yourself," Karma replied, walking by the vampire.

She half expected him to stop him, but a warning hiss from Kuro must have stopped him. Without looking back, she ran to school hoping to be on time.

"I'm sorry, Kuro," Karma apologized as she opened her backpack, the cat climbing in. "I put more games somewhere in there, so don't forget to turn down the volume when you play."

"Mahiru was never this thoughtful," the cat said as he scooted farther into the bag.

She smiled some, zipping the bag shut and heading into the school building, only taking a moment to glance at Yasu who was chatting with her friends about her experience at the Shirota home.

"You really are crazy," a boy said as he took his seat in front of her.

"I suppose," she replied carelessly as she looked through her history book.

One time, she took her homework to the bath house and listened to Hugh talk about Napoleon Bonaparte for three hours. After hearing someone speak first hand about their experience with that era, history class just seemed annoying and pointless. She did like the pictures of the statues and artwork, though.

Someone closed her book, taking her dazed attention from the page to Yasu who smirked down at her, "So, you decided to show your face today? After crying over some stupid fish and a crab? What a baby."

"At least I'm not a heartless person, laughing at other people's pain."

"You saying I bully you?" She scoffed before smiling, "Just friendly pranks, aren't they?"

"Yes, friendly pranks," Karma agreed with a shadow of a smile.

Yasu paled slightly, moving away from the desk to sit in her own. A glowing blue shadow shot from under Karma's desk, attaching itself to Yasu's chair and pulling the chair before she could sit down, sending her sprawling on the ground.

Karma ignored Yasu's shaken gaze as she flipped through the pages in her history book. It was just a friendly prank, after all.

Karma didn't really have a weapon. Her father's had been a broom, Misono's was a chair, Tetsu's was a coffin, and Licht had many weapons, his favorite being the piano, though the boots were more practical for fighting.

She liked all of those options, but finding one that would work best with Kuro was hard to figure out. Kuro had claws. What could she do with that? She was able to manipulate shadows well enough, but that wasn't a weapon.

"Don't you have something else to do?" Kuro grumbled from the bag.

She smiled some, starting to pay attention to what the teacher was writing on the board.

The rest of the day was a bore. People made fun of her for having a meltdown over a fish tank, and in return, she would make sure the student knew she was nowhere near them when whatever mishap happened.

When school was over, Kuro climbed from the backpack and rested on her shoulder while she emptied her bag, dusting crumbs from the bottom. "We need to find you cleaner snacks," she told the cat as she began putting everything back.

"I don't want to lick peanut butter all day," he replied.

"You don't even like peanut butter, Kuro," she replied, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. "Maybe I can make you something."

"No," he replied quickly.

She laughed slightly. "Papa then."

"No way. He would make some weird healthy thing."

"For someone that will eat anything, you are picky," Karma said as she scratched her arm.

Her feet stopped almost on their own when someone blocked her path from returning home. She had only met the wandering antique dealer once, but there was no mistaking his servamp.

"Hey, Mr. Mikuni," she greeted with a small bow, "And snake thing."

"You look safe enough," Mikuni said, frowning slightly as he approached her. "Misono said you were having some trouble."

She blinked a couple of times, "What?"

"He must be talking about your health," Kuro said. "She's fine, now. The medicine made everything worse."

"I see," Mikuni murmured as he approached her.

She took a step back, not wanting to be near the snake around his neck. Servamp or not, that thing was freaky.

He smiled and turned around, walking away with a wave, bidding her a good evening.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Sendagaya?" Karma called into the hot springs hall. The young teen had everything figured out. She would live life normally. Go to school, do chores, hang out with friends, normal stuff until she was seventeen. After that, she would travel abroad for a year with Kuro. To do that, she needed a job, and she knew exactly who to talk to.

After a few moments, the large man appeared, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at the girl, "Hey, Karma. I thought you were done looking at my koi fish."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could give me a job," she asked, her voice getting quieter.

"Aren't you a bit young for a job?"

Her sheepish smile saddened, "Well, with the whole dying thing coming up, I was hoping to get enough money to travel around the world when I turned seventeen. I, uh, didn't know who else to go to."

He rubbed the back of his head, "The only opening I've got is night shift. Think you can handle that?"

She gave a determined nod, "I can do whatever you throw at me."

She regretted those words. Her night shift began at eleven, giving her eight hours to sleep, get her homework done, and whatever chores that needed to be handled. All she could do was wait until her body adjusted to the activities. She was praying it would happen soon.

After two months of work, she had finally gotten used to her new schedule, though her servamp didn't feel the same. Kuro hated being in the bath house only to not be able to use the relaxing baths. He was starting to feel sick as well, and he didn't like the feeling. It really didn't help that his brother noticed.

"You need blood," Hugh advised the lazy servamp.

"No, I don't," Kuro replied stubbornly. His gaze never left his game, "Not hers."

Hugh sighed, "Sleepy Ash, if you don't do anything now, you'll only feel worse, and when it catches up to you, you will kill her."

"I'm going to kill her either way," Kuro replied harshly.

He had thought about her last moments over and over. It crossed his mind at least once a day when he saw her smile or heard her laugh. Would her smile still be as bright and lively? Would she even be able to laugh?

"But only one of those ways will she be given a second chance," Hugh reminded him.

Karma shouldn't have eavesdropped, and she knew that. Hugh had told her what was going on, why Kuro was acting so bizarre. He had stopped eating, stopped drinking, almost stopped talking. Some times she would wake up to him trembling. It was his eyes that bothered her the most. There was so much guilt in those red pools.

But, there was no way of talking Kuro into drinking anything unless he had no say whatsoever. Even though she had the power to make him do it' she would not force him to do anything he didn't want to, unless there was no other way. Shaking her head, she went back to cleaning. It was just another conversation they would have to have.

"Kuro, it's time to go home," Karma said as she stepped into he employee lounge. "Dad and Michi aren't home, so we get to sleep in."

"Not if those terrors keep us up," Kuro grumbled as he stood, rubbing the back of his neck and yawning.

His eyes widened when he felt something solid slam into his mouth. The familiar taste of blood quickly filled his mouth as he stared down at his smiling eve. He felt better. The guilt was almost as overwhelming as his eve's sudden actions. It couldn't be helped.

He licked her arm and the blood from his mouth, glaring down at her, "Don't do that so recklessly."

She gave him a tired smile, "That's the only way I can do it."

He sighed as he took his cat form and jumped to her shoulder, "You're annoying, you know that?"

"Yeah," she replied solemnly. "I know."

She had overheard a conversation between her father and step mother, Michi. Michi had called her a trouble child, to which Mahiru had answered "I know."

What the rest of the conversation was about, she didn't remember. She was trouble, annoying, a burden. Some days she believed death couldn't come fast enough, but others, the ones she got to spend with her father and Kuro without Michi and her kids hovering over them were the days worth waiting for.

The rough tongue of her cat brought her from her spiraling thoughts. "I know that look," Kuro said, his tail flicking against her cheek.

She gave him a smile, "Sorry. I'm looking froward to a long day of sleep."

When Karma opened the door, she realized she would not be getting any sleep. The entire house was trashed, unconscious kids all over the floor, comatose from heavy drinking. Vomit and other unpleasant smells reached her senses making her gag.

To her surprise, her servamp took his human form as he looked around, "Great. Looks like we're not sleeping in today."

He followed her, being less careful of stepping over the various drunk kids on the floor. She opened her door, only for Kuro to place his hand on the doorknob to pull it shut. He sighed as he looked down at her, "Let me get your clothes. You shouldn't go in."

I frowned, "They broke the aquarium?"

"I think that's the only thing that wasn't broken."

For a moment, her body trembled. Kuro's cool touch on her cheek brought her from the panic. With a shaky breath, she took a few steps back, allowing the servamp to enter without her seeing the damage. A sympathetic look from her emotionless friend made her smile slightly. She would be completely lost without him.

He stepped into her room, closing the door behind him. As she looked at the inconscious persons throughout her house, she realized Masaru and Yasu were missing. There were people everywhere, even in her father's bedroom, but her step siblings were nowhere to be found.

Walking back to her room, she took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door knob. She needed to know. Just as she turned the knob, a large hand covered hers, coaxing her to release it. Looking at Kuro, he had a pitiful look on his face.

"Misono said we could come to his place."

"You hate going there," Karma replied as she took the bag of clothes from him.

"I would rather be the than here when Mahiru gets here. Let's go."

She smiled as she followed him out, the sun turning him into a cat the moment it touched him. Jumping into her arms, she was forced to carry him the whole way.

"Hey, Kuro?"

"Hm."

"Are you going to miss me when I'm gone?"

He was silent, an indifferent answer from the servamp. Either he didn't want to admit that he would, or he didn't have the heart to tell her he wouldn't. She smiled slightly. If he didn't miss her, that was okay. He cared now, and that was what mattered. The moment they touched a large blanket of shade, the servamp took his human form, his long arms immediately wrapping around his eve.

"Don't ask such a stupid question. God, you're so stupid."

She smiled against his chest, happy with the answer.

"I won't forget you, either," he said quietly as he rested his chin on top of her head, gently rubbing her head.

That made her rigid. She had a lot of small fears, but the only thing that really terrorized her was to be forgotten. Everyone would be forgotten eventually, but the thought truly horrified her. She wanted to be remembered throughout history as someone who made a difference so she couldn't be forgotten. Not immediately, at least.

A car horn tore the two apart, making them both look at Mahiru and Michi. Karma swallowed thickly as she mentally begged him to continue. Kuro didn't have long before the sun would reach him.

"We're going to talk about this tonight, understand?"

She briefly nodded, "Yes, sir."

Michi was glaring daggers at the two of them, making Karma more than uncomfortable. To her surprise, Kuro put his arm around Karma, pulling her to his side and keeping her close. Her father rolled his eyes when Kuro kissed the top of her head. It made laugh despite the dark blush.

As they drove away, Kuro turned into a cat, staying in Karma's hold. She smirked as she held the cat up, kissing his nose.

He gave her a look, "What was that for?"

"You gave me a kiss, so I gave you a kiss." She placed him on her shoulder, "Has Michi met you before?"

"Why? You don't think she'll approve the age difference? She should take that up with her daughter first."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "What's that mean?"

"Your roommates were in there with people at least twice their age."

Kuro refused to acknowledge Yasu or Masaru as her siblings despite what her father told him. He wouldn't even look at them when they tried to call him. If they touched him, he would hiss or scratch them. It was amusing, to say the least.

Just as they entered Misono's estate, Karma got the long awaited phone call from her father.

"Get your ass home, now!"

She frowned at Michi's voice. "Where's Dad?"

"Busy cleaning your mess! Don't try to deny it, Karma. We found the drugs and all the alcohol receipts in your room. If I ever see you with that boy again-"

Karma watched as Lily took the phone and hung up, "My, what a noisy woman."

"Come play with us," some subclasses said as they grabbed Karma's hand and tugged her to a nearby toy room.

"Old Child told us what you're doing, Karma," Lily said as she allowed the children to lead her.

"That Dracula couldn't keep a secret even if his tongue was cut off," Karma grumbled as she picked up a doll. "I'm not taking donations, and I'm not going to stop, so don't stop me, Lily."

"No, that wasn't my intention at all. Misono was rather stunned when he heard the news, but he's agreed to help in your endeavor. He's willing to allow you to have a plane during your travels. Mizuki knows a few places to stay along the way to help save money so you'll have a better experience. A True Eve certainly deserves the best, isn't that right, brother?"

Kuro gave Karma a sympathetic look before going back to his game. Footsteps stopped just outside the door, a purple haired man peeking in, "There you are. Mahiru is coming to pick you up. He said Michi is coming, so Kuro should probably take his cat form when they get here."

He stepped into the room, a disapproving look on his face, "Karma, why were there drugs in your room?"

She got to her feet, "Mr. Alicein, I had nothing to do with that. I was at work. Mr. Sendagaya saw me and everything."

"Does Mahiru really believe I would allow her to do that?" Kuro asked.

Karma put her hand on the servamp's arm, "Dad knows you wouldn't allow that. Especially after the anxiety medicine."

He didn't look up from his game, barely nodding in agreement. Mahiru had hurt him. Sighing, Karma took his game and sat in his lap, playing the game so he could watch her play.

There was no one in the world worse at video games than could feel Kuro tense under her as she screwed up over and over. After a moment, he took the game from her, resting his chin on her shoulder and continued playing the game. She rested her head against his, "Think Dad is going to be mad at us?"

"Doubt it. If anything, he expected it."

"He expected Yasu and Masaru to throw a house party and hide drugs in my room?"

"Not exactly," he replied as Lily laughed.

Karma sent the blond servamp a confused look before frowning at the sound of the doorbell. They had arrived.

"Stay here," Lily said with a kind smile. "Misono and I will try to talk them down."

Karma stood, Kuro standing next to her with a supportive grip on her shoulder. "We're in it together, princess. They can't take me away from you."

Still, she wrapped her arms around Kuro's waist, fearing that's exactly what they would do. Michi was screaming at the top of her lungs over the drug situation. Occasionally, she got quiet, probably for Misono to talk before going on her rampage again.

At some point, her father had managed to get away from the explosive argument. He walked in, tired and angry, though neither emotion seemed to be directed at them to her surprise, her father pulled her away from Kuro, hugging her tight, "When I saw your room, I couldn't believe you were okay."

"Kuro didn't let me see the room," she admitted with a smile. "You don't look so great, though."

He sighed, "Michi is angry you have a boyfriend before Yasu. And, she thinks Kuro is too old for you."

"Guess they were gone when you got home, then," Kuro commented as he leaned against the doorway. He looked over his shoulder at Mahiru, "What all did you see when you got home?"

"Just that the place was trashed and no one was home. Then there were drugs in your room, and I know you wouldn't do that. Kuro wouldn't let it happen either. I know you couldn't have been part of the party since you were at work last night. I've asked Hugh to keep a look out for Yasu and Masaru." He put his hands on his hips, "Now as far as what I witnessed earlier, do I need to separate you two? I'm sure Mizuki has a cat carrier that will prevent Kuro from escaping."

"Dad, it's not like that. That's just what we do." She pointed at him, "Besides, you said it was okay for him to sleep with me in the first place!"

"Yeah, as a cat!"

She grinned wickedly, "No, don't you remember when I was having a very bad week and you said it was okay for me to sleep with Kuro in his human form as long as nothing happened?"

He went pale, "I...I did say that."

Laughing, she patted him on the back, "Don't worry. We use protection."

She giggled as her father fell dramatically against the door frame, grasping onto his shirt, "Oh, god."

"Dad, I'm going to die in three years. I plan to work until I turn seventeen, then I can party it up."

His face fell as he looked at the ground, "Three years. We haven't even had a proper family vacation. When I'm not busy, you're busy. We'll have to plan something soon. Just the three of us. We'll have fun."

She smiled slightly as she nudged Kuro, "How does that sound?"

"Get away from her, you pervert!" Michi yelled as she pushed by Mahiru.

"Michi, she can date him, if she wants," Mahiru told his furious wife. "He's a good guy."

Michi gave him a furious glare, "No, absolutely not! I don't want him anywhere near her or Yasu!"

"He's related to Lily," Karma said innocently as she wrapped her arm around Kuro's.

Michi went quiet for a moment before she grumbled, "I guess I'll let it slide this time."

The woman paused for a moment, eyes narrowing at them, "You don't seem that excited about my approval."

Mahiru quickly sent a desperate look to his daughter who forced a hug on Kuro, "You'll get to come over whenever you want! We have tons of instant ramen and chips and soda. I even have a few gaming systems in my room."

Kuro gave her a bored look before kissing the top of her head, "It sounds wonderful, princess."

Karma frowned a bit when she yawned, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. "Dad, is it okay if I stay here for a while? I'm sleepy."

Kuro pocketed his game system, quickly swooping Karma off the ground, holding her against him as she started to drift off. "How annoying," he grumbled as he pushed by Mahiru and Michi.

Taking her to the room Lily had prepared for them earlier, he placed her on the large bed, carefully and skillfully undressing her and redressing her before tucking her in. Sighing, he sat on the edge of the bed. Three years left. He didn't have to stay in his cat form anymore. For a moment, he was happy. With the sudden reminder stringing him again, that happiness was gone.

He started to move when Karma's hand grabbed his sleeve, "Don't go. I'm scared."

Kicking off his boots, he got under the sheets, letting Karma snuggle into his chest. There was heat radiating from her unlike any he had felt before. Gently moving his fingers through her fingers, he gently brushed her heated cheeks as well.

"You're either blushing or sick," he pointed out as he continued to pull his fingers through her hair.

She nodded, "I shouldn't be scared of dying. I would be used to the thought, but..."

"You're tired, Karma. Go to sleep."

"Will you play your game?"

"I dropped it on your face last time."

"On purpose."

Sighing, he reached into his jacket and pulled the game system out, turning it on and turning up the volume a bit. She snuggled against him, relaxing a bit as the electronic beeping lulled her to sleep.

Kuro grew bored of the game, placing the system on the nightstand and gently adjusting himself where he was more comfortable under Karma. Question after question haunted him as he laid there. He enjoyed being there. After everything was done, would they sleep together? Would he still be able to get her attention, her affections?

Questions like that made his head hurt. He hated acknowledging his emotions, yet it would destroy him just like the guilt from killing his creator.

Sighing, he glared at the darkness above him. He needed to know. There was no doubt he loved Karma, but was he in love with her? The question made his insides churn unhappily.

So, he was, decidedly, in love with his eve.

Closing his eyes, he felt a weight lift from his chest. That was enough thinking about that. He needed sleep. A slight smile tugged at his lips as Karma cuddled into him, sighing contently. He could think about the rest later.


End file.
